Indian and Chinese troops have clashed on their disputed Himalayan border, the first known incident between the two nuclear-armed Asian powers in nearly two years.

In a statement, India’s Ministry of Defense said soldiers from both sides sustained minor injuries in the face-off, which took place Friday in the Tawang Sector in India’s northeastern territory of Arunachal Pradesh, a remote, inhospitable region that borders southern China.

The 2,100 mile-long (3,379-kilometer) disputed border has long been the source of friction between New Delhi and Beijing, with tensions escalating sharply in June 2020 when hand-to-hand fighting between the two sides resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers in Aksai Chin-Ladakh.

Speaking to lawmakers Tuesday, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh accused China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops of trying to “unilaterally” change the status quo by attempting to cross the line of actual control (LAC) – the two countries’ de facto border.

“The ensuing faceoff led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts,” Singh said, adding there were no serious injuries on the Indian side.

In its earlier statement, the Indian Defense Ministry said both sides “immediately disengaged from the area” and the countries’ respective commanders there held a flag meeting to discuss the issue in “accordance with structured mechanisms to restore peace and tranquility.”

Singh said that meeting occurred Sunday and the Chinese side was “asked to refrain from such actions and maintain peace and tranquility” along the border. The issue was also being addressed through diplomatic channels, he added.

China’s Foreign Ministry did not directly acknowledge the incident in a regularly scheduled news briefing on Tuesday.

“As far as we know, the China-India border area is generally stable, and both sides have maintained smooth communications on boundary-related issues through diplomatic and military channels,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said when asked about India’s statement on the incident, pointing reporters to “competent authorities” for “specifics.”

China hoped India would be “on the same page” to “jointly preserve the peace and stability of the China-India border,” he added.